Spandy Andy

Andy Rimer arrives at the Vancouver Art Gallery the only way he knows how: on a neon-green scooter, wearing black goggles, yellow short-shorts and a multi-colored diamond-checked, one piece spandex outfit. An old-school boom box is bungee corded behind his back seat, and a yellow flag reading “Spandy Andy” is blowing in the wind.

He is immediately recognized.

“Spandy Andy rules,” yells a young man walking by the gallery.

“What’s up!” said Andy, waving while placing his boom box on the sidewalk, turning the volume up loud before he spontaneously begins to dance.

A young girl jumps as Andy bursts out in front of her and gyrates down the sidewalk, standing in shock for a minute before laughing and continuing down the road.

“I love shocking people, and I love getting their reactions.” Said Andy, “when they ignore me, I just want to dance harder. It’s amazing how many [people] are scared of me, and it’s hilarious.”

The 22-year-old began his street-performing act under the name of “Spandy Andy” over a year ago, in his hometown of Red Dear.

“I took a class about street performing—and they asked ‘What is your skill?’ and some people were like ‘I’m going to juggle!’ or ‘I’m going to ride a unicycle,’” said Andy, “The only I was good at was that I’m never embarrassed. Andy was my name, and then Spandy? I don’t know, it just worked, it was meant to be.”

After moving to Vancouver, Andy auditioned for So You Think You Can Dance Canada, sporting a hole in the crotch of his spandex outfit and wearing a colourful sequin top. Andy didn’t make it to the next round, but the audition changed his life.

“The judges loved it. They were howling and laughing and having a great time,” said Andy “and I was at a point where I had just moved to a new city and was thinking ‘What am I going to do with my life?’ and after my audition I knew that I wanted this.”

He then began dancing in English bay, collecting fans and smiles, and getting into trouble with the park’s police.

“They gave me two noise violation tickets and tons of other tickets, they didn’t want me down there,” said Andy, “but I had a Spandy Andy protest and I fought it all the way, and now I’m friends with all the park rangers.”

As Andy pranced down the street in the cold November weather, his humour and unique dance style attracted all kinds of people. When he break-danced and free-styled past pedestrians, an old woman wearing a tiara joined the dancing, and within 10-minuets Andy was dancing alongside two women dressed as zombies, and a man in an RCMP costume with large stick-on moustache.

“You can’t help but be attracted to Spandy,” said long-time friend Aleah Holden, “he just makes you want to smile. He genuinely wants other people to have fun, and to spread smiles and make them laugh. He’s real. I don’t think there’s anyone else like him.”

As Andy dances around several older men, the reactions are priceless.

“You can’t be mad at this,” said Andy.

Many see the colourful performer as a joke, but Andy takes his career seriously. After attending college for computer programming, Andy was hired full-time at IBM in Calgary, a well-respected, high-paying job which he later quit to dance around the streets in spandex.

“I’m very hopeful for him,” said Andy’s father Alan Rimer, “but he’s a wiz at computer, he’s very smart and I wish he would get a paying job. He needs the money, but he’d rather make people smile, and that’s what he loves.”

Andy currently pays his bills by working part-time as a computer programmer in Vancouver, and serves a couple days a week at the Mongolian Grill.

“I love serving people doing the robot,” said Andy, who was also able to pay off a large portion of his debt with the help of Colgate Toothpaste.

After viewing a dance competition ad on Facebook, Andy immediately entered.

“It was perfect! I knew I had a chance, because Colgate was looking for “Canada’s Freshest Dancer.” Said Andy, “and my motto from the beginning was ‘Spandy Andy puts the mint into entertainment, and that fresh.’”

Starting with a online video, Andy was voted into the Top 5, where he was flown to Toronto to compete in a dance-off. In the end, ‘Spandy Andy’ won $10,000 and the title of Canada’s Freshest Dancer.

“I just went crazy, and I danced like wild.” Said Andy, “I screamed ‘yes!’ and I just went ballistic. When you’re in the moment and you’re just so happy, and you’re just feeling it, and you’re in the music, that’s what I felt.”

Back in Vancouver, Andy is continuing his performing, getting reading for the next season of So You Think You can Dance Canada and taking all kinds of dance classes along the way. While improving his skills is important, he has an even larger message to spread.

“You can wear what you want, and you don’t have to be afraid, and I think we’re at a time where people are still really afraid to just be themselves,” said Andy, “I think now is the time to just step out and do what you want, you know?”

As he packs up and heads off to work a shift at the Mongolian Grill, Andy waves goodbye at some of his friends and fans watching him from the Gallery’s steps.

“Stay tight and bright,” said Andy, disappearing on his bright scooter into the heavy Vancouver traffic.